Minimum wage a strain for Grand Traverse region workers
By Sarah Elms, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
That's the way it has to be. He works as a convenience store manager and earns a bit more than the state's
It's a challenge to make ends meet, even for a single man.
"Even if you're frugal with your groceries, you're still spending
The area's high cost of living, particularly for housing, makes it difficult for many low-income residents to keep a roof over their heads and pay their monthly bills. The retiree- and tourist-reliant
Statistics show that a single adult who lives in
Those numbers came from "Making Ends Meet in
The report compiles the costs of providing the basics: housing, food, transportation, personal/household items, health care and child care, if applicable, for a single adult; a single parent with two children; a two-parent household with two children and one working parent; and a two-parent household with two children and two working parents.
'Bare bones'
"We've used very conservative figures, just the bare bones basic needs," agency spokeswoman
The report is meant to be a resource for local agencies across the state that work with families or in economic development, Putnam said. This year's findings dovetail with a campaign to increase
Raise
"It really gives some insight to the gap that we're talking about," Putnam said. "Nowhere in any of the counties do we see that making minimum wage working full time is enough to meet the basic needs of a single person."
In
Wood said he heard from a few local business owners who worry about how much the wage rate could increase.
"The biggest concern, I think to them, is quite frankly the size of the jump," Wood said. "Going from
That could mean business owners might cut back on hiring to be able to afford to pay their current employees the extra money, Wood said. It's only speculation, he cautioned, but it is a concern to some business owners.
Chamber officials likely will do more research if the proposal makes it on the statewide ballot, he said.
"We look more at people we hire not necessarily as an hourly employee, but more as someone investing in our small business," he said.
Joubran believes smaller, local businesses that line downtown's streets wouldn't be adversely affected, but larger companies that hire a lot of seasonal employees could.
"I think it's something you roll with," he said. "When you need more employees, that means business is good."
Demand drives GT housing costs
Housing costs appear to be the main reason someone living in
The statewide average monthly rent is
The demand for housing in
"It's no question that housing costs are a substantial barrier to professionals in
Luciani said creating policies that increase access to quality child care, looking at tax reforms and addressing unemployment compensation and child care subsidies should take priority over increasing minimum wage.
Kenny, the convenience store manager, made minimum wage when he was hired and saved money by sharing an apartment with a friend, he said.
He earned a promotion and pay raise since then. The extra cash gives him more financial wiggle room, though not much.
"I'm doing OK, but I'm a manager. I make more than minimum wage," Kenny said.
The public policy group's full report is available at www.mlpp.org.
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